


Alpenglow

by Dessa



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dessa/pseuds/Dessa
Summary: Alpenglow – A reddish glow often seen on the summits of mountains just before sunrise or just after sunsetEzra's getting into trouble after Malachor, and Hera's going to get to the bottom of it.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Hera Syndulla
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Alpenglow

Hera came down the ramp of the  _ Ghost _ to a commotion. A Rebellion soldier, one that she recognized as being assigned to base security, was hauling her youngest crew member toward the ship by the back of his collar.

“This one yours?” he asked, shoving Ezra toward her.

“Yes, he-- Ezra!” The teen in question had already scampered back to his feet, and was already up the ladder before Hera could stop him. “I'm sorry...” she sighed. “What did he do?”

“He was caught breaking into the drug supplies in med bay.”

“Why would he--? Nevermind. Thank you for bringing him here, I'll take it from here.”

The soldier nodded, and left, while Hera turned to re-enter her ship and find Ezra.

~~~~~

“Ezra?” Hera called, not really expecting an answer. Most likely, she’d have to hunt him down herself. Zeb and Sabine were both elsewhere on base, so they wouldn’t be able to help. And Kanan… Ever since they’d returned from Malachor, both of them had clammed up when the other came up. She didn’t want to open that can of worms if she didn’t have to, so she went at it alone.

Climbing the ladder, she checked all of the obvious places first: his bunk, the common room, the refresher, and the galley. Then she checked the Phantom, the top turret, and the cockpit and nose gun. Everywhere was empty. Knowing that he wouldn't be in hers, Sabine's, or Kanan's quarters, she was running out of locations to look. She'd seen him go up the ladder, but the only other place to check was--

Hera paused. The vents. The first time he'd come aboard the ship, he'd used the vents to escape and travel around. And he'd gotten to the cockpit from... She palmed the door to the closet open, and there she found the teen, making himself as small as possible in the corner. “Ezra?” she said softly, eliciting no response. “Ezra, hon, you need to talk to me.”

He finally looked at her, and she could see that there was something very wrong. His skin was much paler than normal, and there were obvious bags under his eyes. “Ezra, what's wrong? Why were you in the med bay?”

“I-I just... I just wanted something to let me sleep.”

If he hadn't been sleeping, that certainly would explain his appearance. And the comments she'd been hearing about Ezra being irritable and clumsy around the base were making sense now, too.

“Ezra, if you need sleep, you can just ask for sleeptabs--”

“That's not what I was looking for!” he shouted at her, then bit his lip, trembling. “I-- I can get  _ to _ sleep, that's not the problem... And-- I don't like the way sleeptabs make me feel. Like I  _ can't _ wake up, even if I wanted to.”

“Then what were you looking for?”

“It's...” he trailed off.

“Ezra?”

“They won’t give it to me.”

“What won’t they give you?” Ezra’s voice dropped so low she couldn’t understand him. “Come again?”

“Vue.”

“Vutalamine?! Ezra, are you crazy?!” she shouted, without meaning to.

“That’s why I didn’t tell anyone!” Ezra shouted right back.

Hera took a deep breath, calming herself. Nothing good would come of this conversation if it devolved into a shouting match. “Ezra, why do you want vue?”

Ezra looked down, almost ashamed to have to tell her. “When I was little, after my parents... were gone... I had problems getting to sleep. I just couldn't wind down. My mind was running wild. And if I did sleep, I had all these wild dreams. Someone gave me this pill... said it just slowed the brain down a bit, helped you sleep. And it did. But...”

“But it was vue.”

“Yeah… I tried getting some for myself, once. They wouldn’t even look at me, ‘cuz I was just a kid.”

“Vue is addictive and has a lot of side effects. It’s not something you should just take without caution.”

“You think I don’t know that? It’s just… It’s the only thing that has ever seemed to help. And it’s not like the medics would give it to me anyway.”

“And there’s a reason for that, Ezra.”

“I know! I did the research!” He pulled out a datapad, handing it over to Hera.

The captain skimmed over the information on the datapad. “These long-term side effects… I’d have to pull you off active duty for any of them.”

“I don’t  _ want _ to take it long-term. Just until I can sleep without having all of these nightmares…”

Hera thought for a moment. “If I help you with this, do you promise to follow my every instruction?”

“I--”

“Give me your word, Ezra.”

“I promise, I promise!”

“Then I think I can take care of this. Come with me.” Offering her hand, she pulled her youngest up to his feet, and escorted him off the ship.

~~~~~

Hera walked purposefully into the med bay, Ezra on her heels. They came upon the medic on duty, and Hera cleared her throat to get their attention.

“May I help you...” the medic trailed off, not having a name to fill in.

“Hera Syndulla,” the Twi'lek filled in. “ _ Captain _ Hera Syndulla.”

“May I help you, Captain Syndulla?”

“Yes, I need some Vutalamine.”

“Vutalamine requires a therapist's prescription,” the medic started.

“Under normal circumstances, yes. But as the Captain of the  _ Ghost _ , I have deemed it necessary for my crew member to perform his duties. My rank gives me the authority to compel you to hand over the drugs for this purpose.”

“I recognize your authority, Captain, but I must warn you that there are severe side effects. These side effects would prohibit--”

“Active duty. Yes, I recognize this. But the side effects are only from long-term usage.”

The medic blinked at Hera's response, and could see in the other’s eyes that she wasn’t going to back down. Nodding, the woman turned, unlocking the cabinet and pulling out a container. She measured the pills into a smaller container, before replacing and relocking the cabinet. Turning back, she handed the pills to Hera.

“If there are any problems, come back here. If there are any questions, I can be discreet.”

“Thank you,” Hera said, with a warm smile. Behind her, Ezra echoed the sentiments, before being ushered out by his captain.

~~~~~

Hera didn't give him the container until they returned to the  _ Ghost _ . But before she did, she turned on him. “Now, I don't think I have to tell you how serious this is? What I just did to get you these?” Ezra nodded. “I don't like throwing weight around, rank privilege or not. You will use these responsibly, and you will report any and all side effects to me  _ immediately _ . Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma'am,” Ezra replied, looking down. He didn't raise his head until he felt Hera take his hands in hers, placing the small bottle in his.

“Take one, and instantly up to your bunk. I want you to get a good night's sleep before I see you again. There's plenty of work to be done, and you need to be able to work properly. You're still in trouble from earlier.” Ezra nodded again, and turned to leave. “And Ezra?” He paused. “Next time, I want you to tell me there's a problem before it's a bigger problem. Understand?”

Ezra offered a soft smile. “I will. Thanks, Hera.”

Hera smiled back, then shooed him away. Once he was up the ladder, she turned, getting back to work herself.

**Author's Note:**

> First off, the title of the fic is inspired by the Nightwish song Alpenglow, that I highly recommend.
> 
> Secondly, while vue is fictional to Star Wars, there are real-world medications that help with this. I take one myself. I am **NOT** advocating taking these without medical prescription! But if you think you might need something, _please_ talk to a doctor!


End file.
